Chapter 140 Sadism
Shen Yuanzhu said "Oh," and then asked, "What do I need?"
Xie Qi smiled faintly, but then brought up other things.
"You just said that Madam Jiang wants to marry her daughter to Third Uncle?"
Yes.
"Leave this to me, so you won't have to worry about your family."
Xie Jingyuan should get married soon.
The thought that Shen Yuanzhu had considered marrying him, and even prepared clothes for Xie Jingyuan, made Xie Qi feel extremely bitter.
His third uncle is also a scoundrel. If he were, he would have several children by now at this age.
Xie Qi held Shen Yuanzhu's hand and said softly, "I am happy that you are on good terms with the Jiang family girl. In the future, when you are at home, you will have someone to talk to and play with."
With their goal achieved, Shen Yuanzhu felt relieved, and the two returned home together.
The next day, Xie Qi hurriedly went to arrange Xie Jingyuan's wedding.
When Yun Zheng saw that he had come to the shop early in the morning, he pretended to be annoyed and said, "You have been quite free these past few days, coming every day, but I don't see you busy with anything important."
"With the owner so leisurely, this shop probably doesn't have much of a future."
Xie Qi said, "The important things will be done by others. I just need to pick the peaches. There's no need for me to work so hard."
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "I have something to tell you. There is a Mr. Jiang in the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau who is in charge of documents. He has a daughter who is of marriageable age."
"Go around spreading the word that this girl is well-educated, sensible, and good at managing a household, but unfortunately she is burdened by her family and is unable to find a husband when she reaches marriageable age."
Yun Zheng asked doubtfully, "Wouldn't it be better to ask some gossipy relatives to do this?"
Xie Qi said, "It's faster to send the message from you."
Jixia Village is no longer what it used to be; nowadays, those who can afford to shop at Wanbao Street generally come from wealthy or influential families.
Having a casual chat with the guys here is much more effective than dealing with gossipy aunts and uncles.
"This isn't my area of expertise either, so how should I put it?"
Xie Qi clicked his tongue: "Just make up a few catchy stories, like lying on ice to catch carp or wearing colorful clothes to entertain your parents, and you'll have a good reputation."
Before leaving, he did inquire about the Jiang family, and after thinking it over, he understood why Madam Jiang had chosen Xie Jingyuan.
Although the Jiang family are officials, it is difficult for this girl to marry into a wealthy family. The only men she can choose are poor scholars.
Merchants have a low social status, so the Xie family is considered to be the best among the worst.
Now, Xie San Niang is looking for a marriage partner for Xie Jingyuan, and the Jiang family is interested. It can be said that both parties are willing to be together.
Yun Zheng was always meticulous in his work. After Xie Qi finished giving instructions, he went to Yuan Xu's place.
After he left, Shen Yuanzhu asked about everything that had happened while he was away the day before.
“You were not here yesterday, and when your son-in-law came back, he kept asking you questions, asking where you went, whose house you went to, and why you invited him. Oh dear, he asked so many questions that I didn’t even have time to answer.”
Luo put the small velvet flower hairpin that Xie Qi had given her yesterday into Shen Yuanzhu's hair. The more she looked at it, the happier she became: "This old servant can see that the young master really cares about the young lady. This is very good."
“Yesterday, I fiddled with the box containing the dyeing manual all night, but the young master didn’t even glance at it.”
Recalling the scene of Xie Qi embracing her on the street last night, Shen Yuanzhu's face flushed slightly.
“He is an ambitious man, and he must have his own plans. The dyeing stencil was not in his plans, so he never considered it.”
What are your plans, son-in-law?
Shen Yuanzhu replied, "I don't know about that."
She didn't want to know.
As long as Xie Qi doesn't side with the Xie family and doesn't interfere with her plans, he has already fulfilled his duty as a "husband." She doesn't ask for much else.
Flipping the fluffy flowers in her hair, Chen Yuanzhu said, "Xiaozhi should go home to visit her family today."
She reached into her purse and grabbed a handful of loose silver coins, then said, "Let her go out and have some fun. She can come back in a couple of days."
Xiao Zhi stood behind Shen Yuanzhu, smiling as she accepted the silver: "This servant will leave right away."
After pretending to pack her things, Xiaozhi skipped and hopped away.
Ling'er stepped forward, rubbing her hands together eagerly: "Miss, Xueqing invited me to drink and relax again today. Shall I go too?"
Shen Yuanzhu waved her hand: "Go, all of you go."
With a "Okay!", Ling'er took a plate of snacks from the table, tore off a large leaf from outside the courtyard to shade herself, and went to find Xueqing to play.
Within half a day, only Shen Yuanzhu and Luo Shi remained in Qianxiang Courtyard.
Shen Yuanzhu held her chin in her hands, watching Wei Hu busy in the courtyard under the scorching sun, and couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
“Nanny, why don’t you and Wei Hu go and rest for a while? It’s the height of summer, why don’t you two make some herbal tea, find some fruit, and find a shady spot to sit and kill some time?”
Madam Luo nodded in agreement: "I quite like Wei Hu, he's loyal and responsible. Let him rest today."
The two exchanged a smile and went about their own business.
The weather was hot, especially at noon.
The entire Qianxiang Courtyard was quiet. Shen Yuanzhu was taking a nap on a small couch when she suddenly heard a tinkling sound coming from inside the room.
She rubbed her eyes and said slowly, "Mianhe?"
Upon seeing Shen Yuanzhu, Mianhe knelt down with a thud: "Second Young Mistress, please save this servant."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yuanzhu looked worried and asked, "What's wrong? Get up and tell me."
Barefoot, she rolled off the bed and, with a look of pity, pulled Mianhe up from the ground.
Shen Yuanzhu had a pair of bright and clear eyes, coupled with her gentle appearance, which made her seem quite unlike other masters who had an air of authority.
Mianhe's gaze swept over her bare feet and her kneeling posture, filled with contempt.
No wonder she always saw Ling'er jumping around and behaving without any manners.
It turned out that this Miss Shen simply couldn't control the people under her. She had observed for a long time that everyone in Qianxiang Courtyard, from the wet nurses to the maids, was adept at shirking their duties and being lazy.
Today, Ling'er was dragged away by Xueqing, and the wet nurse also went to slack off with Wei Hu...
That's true. The last time she came to visit, she saw Shen Yuanzhu being run around by her unruly servants.
Mianhe pulled Chenyuanzhu along, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"To be honest, I have no other way to survive and I would like to ask the Second Young Mistress for a favor."
"Second Young Master makes Wei Hu torment me every day. I finally managed to find an opportunity to come before you today."
"I just want to beg you to spare my life..."
Shen Yuanzhu asked in confusion, "Didn't you used to serve your husband? Why would Wei Hu mistreat you?"
"It's because I serve the second young master that..."
Mianhe bit her lip, knelt prostrate before Shen Yuanzhu, and said in a choked voice, "You and the second young master have been married for some time now, so you should know that the second young master... has some strange quirks, right?"
Shen Yuanzhu pondered for a moment: "What do you mean?"
"The second young master... he's sadistic."
Mianhe's words were evasive and unclear, and Shen Yuanzhu exclaimed in surprise upon hearing them.
Upon hearing this reaction, Mianhe knew that Xie Qi's bedmate couldn't possibly have been unaware of anything.
After thinking for a moment, she continued, "I know some things, and it is because of this that Wei Hu has been blocking me from getting close to you every day."
"Don't be fooled by the fact that the second young master seems to be doing well now, but..."
Mianhe bit her lip, looking at Chen Yuanzhu with difficulty, and silently shed tears.
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